Sen. Dianne Feinstein has been absent from the Senate since early March, due to a case of shingles. Since then there has been almost no evidence that indicates the 89-year-old Senator will be able to return to work any time soon. Sen. Feinstein’s prominent position on the Senate Judiciary Committee, tasked with approving President Joe Biden’s court nominees, has been waylaid since—with Republicans gridlocking any further progress.
After stories came out questioning Feinstein’s capacity to do the rigorous job of a senator, Feinstein (or her staff) released a statement asking to be temporarily removed from the Senate Judiciary Committee. This move was met with the predictable Republican response of filibustering her removal. Also predictable was Sen. Joe Manchin’s choice to go along with the Republican obstruction of the Judiciary Committee’s important work.
Renewed calls for Feinstein to retire have been met with the wishy-washiness we have come to expect from Sen. Dick Durbin, and the wild hypocrisy of Republican Susan Collins—whose baseless attempt to characterize such calls as misogyny is belied by her entire career of sucking up to misogynists.
On Thursday, Feinstein’s office released a statement, purporting to be from the Senator herself. Feinstein (or whoever composed the statement) tried to paint a picture of normalcy, writing, “There has been no slowdown” in the confirmation of judicial nominees. Aside from not being true, any information as to when the senator plans to return to her duties was absent from the statement.
Responses to this statement were fast and pointed.
RELATED STORY: Feinstein must go, and Joe Manchin is the reason why
